KOTA KINABALU: Coffee Tenom is well known among coffee drinkers, and in fact it may not even be the brand name of the coffee in question. As long as its fragrant and black, it is called Tenom Coffee.
One of the most popular Coffee producer in Tenom district and Sabah as a whole is Yit Foh Coffee.
As one of the leading manufacturer of coffee in the State, it is a brand well known to all coffee lovers in the State. Founded by Yong Loong Vin in the 1960s, it is the oldest and more famous coffee vendors. It is now synonymous to Tenom. They used to use the airplane as a brand for their coffee in those days but the packaging are as glossy as they come nowadays. Commemorating this symbol is an effigy of an airplane on the compound.
Alex Yong, the managing Director, in a brief interview shares that they have diversified their products but where coffee is concerned they have maintained the quality of coffee throughout the years by employing the same method of processing, which is roasting with firewood.
Yit Foh Coffee is considered a symbol of Tenom and after half a century in operation, they still produce the same high quality coffee using traditional method, the wood fire drum technique. This ensures that the beans are roasted to perfection before the next process. When passing by the factory, the aroma of coffee can be so tantalising, that one wants to stop by and have a few shot of this drinks.
Alex has shared that he has always been hands on in the business all his life and upon completing his high school he took over the business when his father passed away and his 11 older siblings did not show any enthusiasm in the field.
When he took over the business, he planned to go beyond being a mere manufacturer of loose coffee and give the market more of their products. His idea translated into the creations of several choices for coffee lovers.
Nowadays, Yit Foh also produces products in sachets such as Kopi-O (black coffee without sugar); Kopi-O 2 in 1 (black coffee with sugar); Café Latte 3 in 1 (coffee with sugar & creamer); Cafe Latte 2 in 1 (coffee with creamer only); White Coffee and Café Au Lait. They now have durian Coffee, Oat Cereal and Teh Tarik, as well as a few types of candies.
These products are readily available in most supermarkets and grocery shops in the State. They are also available in Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak and Brunei.
Looking beyond the production of coffee and developing it as a tourism attraction, Alex came up with the idea of the chalets and restaurant and in future offering guests a tour of the factory.
“We hope to do this in future of course. I believe that our outlet which offers our various type of coffee and a place to sit down and enjoy drinks and snacks can be an attraction to our guests. Plus we have the background for photographs like our airplane model and umbrella shades,” he shares, adding that there are many attractions in Tenom especially those who like culture, traditions, food and agriculture tourism.
Besides the array of coffee, Yit Foh also boasts a row of chalets as accomodations to visitors and tourists. The chalets are attractive, the rooms are spacious and the environment is relaxing. There is a single unit especially for visiting dignitaries and VIPs. It can be available to anybody when its not in use.
It is a nice and quiet place to relax in after a tour of Tenom’s many tourism sites and sights.
Yit Foh is working closely together with tour operators and entrepreneurs in ensuring that Tenom hits and stays on the tourism map as one of the main tour destination of Sabah.-Anna Vivienne/BNN
